Future Written of Blood by MadRog

Part 3, Chapters 12-16

After the tremors stopped and Buffy felt like she was finally coming back to earth, her knees buckled and she did nearly fall. Spike, however, scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the next room. He carefully laid her down on her bed, looking down at her.

Buffy could see his blue eyes glittering behind his black mask. She didn’t need the mask off to know he was wondering what was she going to do next. Is she going to call that first time a lapse of reason, an accident…a mistake? Or was she going to accept him, revel in what they had just done, and jump at a chance for more. She knew he was waiting, letting her decide. Buffy slipped off her mask, so there would be no mistaking how sure she was, and pulled him on to the bed with her. “Round two.”

Having looked down at all of her beauty, Spike needed no further invitation, but instead of lying on the bed with her when she pulled him down, he straddled her thighs. He was learning to love her wrap around shirt, which again was just way too enticing to be left alone. Still untied, the two sides of the shirt had fallen back over her chest when he had laid her down on the bed. Raising an eyebrow at the seductive packaging, Spike gave one of his trademark leers that made Buffy both laugh and squirm in anticipation, “Uh oh, is the big bad after me?”

“Oh, little slayer, the big bad won’t be through with you anytime soon.” With a chuckle, Spike reached out, and using the palm of his hand, he slowly brushed aside the rest of the shirt. Suddenly his smile disappeared, and he again stared for another moment.

Buffy was left to wonder this time. “Uh, hello? … Getting cold here.”

That seemed to snap Spike out of his daze. His blue eyes locked with her hazel ones as he leaned down to kiss her. Just before their lips met, he whispered against hers, “Beautiful, you are just so incredibly beautiful.” This kiss was slow, passionate, and an act of devotion that took Buffy’s breath away.

He pulled back up again to look in her eyes before leaning back down and sucking one erect nipple into his mouth. Buffy would have bucked, but his other hand came down on her other breast, massaging, searching out her other nipple. As soon as she thought she would surely die in ecstasy, his mouth moved back up to her mouth. Once more, this kiss was different - open and needy. His tongue dueled with her own, nipped at the tip of her tongue. His mouth devoured hers, as his hand squeezed her nipple before being replaced by his mouth, and he gently began suckling.

Buffy’s hands wanted to be everywhere at once. They started in his hair, holding him down to her, but soon progressed down. One hand desperately grabbed at his shirt as she felt the sensation of his blunt teeth on her nipple. Her other hand made its way to his waist, then up under his shirt. Finally, skin. Ah, then he had kissed her again, that devastating kiss. Her hands moved over his skin, feeling, exploring. One hand found a flat nipple that she teased with a fingernail causing Spike to moan and driving him into action.

Working fast, Spike shed his shirt and then began work on Buffy’s skirt. After kissing down her stomach, he slid her skirt down, kissing a path along the way. When the skirt was off, Spike kicked off his boots and pants before joining her again.

As Spike made his way back up Buffy’s body, he made sure that as much of his skin glided across her skin as possible. He found her to be such an elixir, her hot skin rubbing on his cool skin. He made it up to where his mouth could again capture a nipple while his member nudged the curls at the junction at the top of her legs. As naturally as breathing, Buffy opened her legs to accept him, thoroughly enjoying the feel of his penis probing, rubbing her lips and searching for entrance.

When he found the opening, Buffy opened her eyes to look at Spike. With a smile, she put her hands on either side of Spike’s face and brought him to a halt. “Oh, Zorro?”

He wanted her so badly that Spike found it hard to even concentrate on her words.

With a smile on her face, Buffy took off his mask - the last barrier between them, “Ah, Spike, I want to be able to look at you, not some phantom lover.” Then she lifted her hips, accepting Spike into her as he came down hard to meet her.

With Buffy’s arms wrapped tightly around his back and keeping as much contact as possible, Spike began to move in and out. Both moaned deep from within, not wanted it to ever end. As her muscles started to squeeze him with an impending orgasm, Spike put his hands under her ass and tilted her to get as deep as possible. When he felt her going over the edge, taking him with her, he thrust in as far as he could and road the delicious waves to a climax.

*******

Knock, knock, knock.

“Huh?” Buffy tried to turn over and go back to sleep but found herself pinned in place. As she tried to think, fleeting images of the previous night started to come back to her. Oh, yeah, she thought with a smile. Round one had been in her bathroom. Ah, the visuals. Round two had taken place in her bed. Then they had gotten hungry, so round three ended up in the kitchen, of course. Buffy had never thought to feed Spike blood again and enjoy it this time. The time she had done it in Giles’ tub had been frustrating and annoying. But last night…

Knock, knock, knock.

Hearing the noise vaguely in the background, the knocking brought Buffy to thinking about round four which took place on the sofa. Mmmm, it had been fabulous but had also resulted with her now pinned down on the sofa.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Who the bloody hell is knocking on the soddin’ door this early in the morning?”

Judging by the sexy English accent, Buffy now knew who was pinning her down. She gave him a brusque shove.

“Umph! Hey, watch it, you silly bint. What’d I do now? I had a perfectly good spot there.”

Buffy looked down at Spike who was now laying on the floor beside the sofa. “Deaf much? And duh! Someone’s at the door.”

Spike started to get back on the sofa. “So, I heard them, and they can bugger off.”

“Urgh!” Buffy gave him another shove. “Naked here. And somebody has to answer the door.”

Spike decided he wasn’t getting anymore sleep. “Like I’m not in my birthday suite also, luv. Well, run off then and put on some knickers on. I’ll get the door.” Spike grabbed a pair of jeans from his bedroom and went to answer the door.

*******

Clara couldn’t help but laugh, only to herself of course, at the pre-fight meal compared to one in the last dimension. This one was very different. Granted, Buffy still looked a little uncertain as before the meal, but Spike was undoubtedly happy in a testosterone sort of way. That ‘I just got laid’ sort of way as compared to Buffy’s ‘I got laid, which was great, but I’m not sure that I should have done it or enjoyed it’ kinda way.

But having sex must have been good for both of them because their practice before the fight was good, and the actual fight was even better. This was the fourth time Clara had seen them fight seriously, and this by far was the most impressive. One of the locals had been called out first and then Spike.

Without being told, Clara could tell that Spike was glad to hear his name called. He came out practically bouncing on the balls of his feet, with eyes flashing, and mouth taunting. Clara suspected that he just toyed with the guy for the first six minutes, and then when the clock began to click down the last minute to the announcement of the new name, it happened. In a blink of an eye or should say the spin of a kick, the opponent was down and out.

Next, Buffy was called, and because the rules required them to fight if called in the ring, they sparred for the seven minutes. Both put on quite an exhibition and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. In fact, Clara was willing to bet that Spike and Buffy had even forgotten the crowd watching them, only caring that the other was in the ring with them. But when the last name was called, Spike, giving her a small bow, waved Buffy on and leaned again a far wall to watch the show.

Contrary to her partner’s playfulness, Buffy did not fool around. She traded a few moves to learn the guys style, and then snuck in a one-two punch combination that landed the guy on his back. Watching what happened next, Clara just had to laugh. Before Buffy could even check and make sure that her opponent was actually out, before the victors could be officially declared, Spike was across the arena. When he got to the slayer, he picked her up, threw her over his shoulder and headed out. Clara barely had time to open the door for him, and judging by the hungry look on his face, Clara had no doubt where Spike was headed with his squirming bundle.

And hungry Spike was, but not for blood or food. Spike was starving for a certain slayer. Fighting with her, and then watching her fight had turned him on to the point of bursting. He had grown so hard while watching her fight that last opponent, that he had to fidget in an effort to find a comfortable position in his jeans without adjusting himself with his hand in front of the crowd. But, bloody hell, when she finished, she was his.

Spike had in fact enjoyed Buffy’s feminine squeal when he first picked her up and her token protest on the way back to the suite just added to his desire for her. But he could smell her arousal. He knew otherwise. The slayer wanted him just as badly as he wanted her.

Finally arriving at their destination, he practically knocked the door down getting into the suite before setting her down. For all her protests, Buffy simply made sure the door would still lock after the blow that it had taken from Spike. Then she turned around and leap on a happily surprised Spike. Buffy was already trying to eat him up with her mouth and tongue as her legs locked around his back.

Spike opted for the only room they hadn’t tried out yet, his bedroom, but they only made it to the doorway. Before, as he carried her toward the bedroom, he hadn’t known if he was going to get hit or what, but he liked the “or what” in this case. Now he was wondering when or if she would come up for air. When she did, he tried to get some business taken care of. “Buffy, I need you to let go a sec so we can get some of the clothes off, luv.”

Panting, Buffy gave him a sly, sexy smile as she licked her lips, “Spike, think creatively.” And then she went on a second frontal assault of Spike’s mouth and kept her legs locked around him.

Creative, huh? Spike thought. Now that he could do and there was no way he was going to put down this wonderful spitfire in his arms. Hell, the way she was grinding her crotch on his erection was pretty damn close to getting him off as it was.

So while still kissing the slayer, Spike shucked off his boots, freed up one of his hands to undo his belt, and then hip juggled and wiggled around his hard on to get his pants off. The shirt would have to just wait until later. Now for Buffy, he thought briefly for a logical plan but hormones took over. He broke their kiss long enough to hike Buffy up over his shoulder again, and then pulled her pants and thong off. Well, mostly ripped them away. Using the door to brace himself, he brought her back down over his shoulder, bringing Buffy’s mouth back on his own. When her legs were wrapped back around his waist, he lowered her the last few inches, lowering her down onto his erection.

When Buffy felt Spike’s member fill her, she threw her head back in ecstasy. “Oh, God, Spike. Yes, you feel so wonderful.”

Watching her face, the look of joy, was well worth the creative clothes juggling. “And you, Buffy, are so beautiful.” Then he attacked her exposed neck, kissing, nipping, punctuating the rhythm he had set, continuing to drive both of them wild.

When she felt her own orgasm coming, Buffy began nipping and biting on Spike’s neck in return, which turned him on even more. So when Buffy’s muscles started to contract with her orgasm, squeezing Spike’s already swelling cock, it swiftly brought him toward his own climax. As they both reached their peak, Spike’s legs gave way causing them to fall over onto the near by bed.

Now sitting on Spike, still intimately connected, Buffy’s first coherent thought was, “wow.”

Spike smiled, “I’ll take that wow and raise you two.” He ran his hands up her sides to fondle her breast before pulling her shirt off over her head.

“Wow.” Buffy was still stuck on the wows. “Wow”

Now Spike was laughing. He tugged her down for a kiss and then pulled back slightly so that they were nose to nose. “Is that a good wow or a bad wow?”

Coming out of her daze, Buffy rolled her hips a couple of time while she pretended to be thinking but really just enjoying Spike’s moans, she slowly smiled, “Definitely of the good.”

Spike felt his semi-erection harden with her every move. “How about another ‘wow,’ luv?”

Buffy began to work on getting Spike’s shirt off without getting off him. “Definitely of the good.”

“Well, the only thing missing is that black-haired trollop?”

“Who?” Buffy had no idea what the bleach blonde next to her was talking about.

“Snow White.” Spike gave her a ‘duh’ look.

Buffy jabbed an elbow between Spike’s ribs, receiving a satisfying oomph for her accuracy. “Hush! I think they’re cute.”

“What are you jabbing me for, Slayer? All these blokes need are the hats and pointed shoes. Look at them and tell me they are not Snow White’s little gits.”

Buffy had to agree, even though she would never tell the cocky vampire so, but she wanted to ask them if they needed any help with a evil queen or something. These people did look like dwarves straight out of Walt Disney’s movie. They were short, almost resembling gnomes, and their dimension was a forested haven. Thank goodness there was no castle on a rocky mountains in the distance or she would have to listen to Spike spout off again. But there were just trees surrounding a township in a very picturesque Magic Kingdom- Not sure sort of way, but nope, no one had on any Mickey Mouse ears.

Back to reality, though, Buffy thought as she gave herself a mental kick. The day was overcast, but Buffy was glad that they were not taking any chances of making her partner into Mr. Dusty. In fact, Sebastian made sure that the portal opened up inside of the building so Spike wouldn’t get singed.

While she and Spike stood in a covered area good naturedly ridiculing the local inhabitants, Sebastian, with Clara’s help, was meeting with what appeared to be the town council, which consisted of two men and a woman. Regardless of their appearance, Buffy refused to call them dwarves even in her thoughts, but she was going to kill Spike if he didn’t quit with the, “Hi, ho, hi, ho. It’s off to work we go…”

She did chuckle at the vampire’s antics, but she was relieved that he shut up when Sebastian and Clara walked back over to them. Sebastian closely resembled the proverbial Cheshire cat with his smile, rubbing his paws together with glee. Or should she say greed, Buffy thought with a smile of her own. “Well, this one should be easy. Just this one last fight, and our bargain is done. Then you two are on your way home.” With an abrupt nod of his head, Sebastian gestured with distain back to the council. “Can you imagine? I even offered to let them use four combatants instead of two, but they declined with a smile, saying they were confident that two would be enough.”

“Cocky buggers.” Spike couldn’t believe they had turned down such a deal. In fact, he started to suspect that something was not quite right here.

Unperturbed, Buffy casually looked around, “So what’s the plan?”

Stepping up, Clara pointed toward a nearby cottage. “The Council has provided the two of you that cottage, and dinner will be provided in about a quarter of an hour over in the building that we arrived in. The same room, in fact. By the way, they are having a fair here tonight. Not such a party as in the last dimension, but more like a county fair in the clearing just past the town. You are invited to enjoy the festivities after the meal. See you in a few.” Clara gave them a smile and a little wave as she hurried to catch up to Sebastian’s already retreating form.

“Well, pet, the sun is setting but still better safe than singed.” Spike gave her a wink, and using a blanket provided, Spike made the dash to the cottage. Buffy followed at a more sedate pace. After inspecting their new lodgings, which included trying out the new bed, Buffy and Spike joined the others for a formal meal with the council before heading down to have a look at the fair.

Buffy had considered the last dimension’s party was beautiful, but this fair, she thought, was charming in a fairy book sort of way. She groaned to herself when she realized that Spike’s Snow White analogy was rubbing off on her, but lit by fire-light and candles and with everyone so cheerful, Buffy was beginning to think Spike had every right to sing Hi, Ho. Well, she certainly wasn’t going to eat any apples, that was for sure.

The fair’s atmosphere was contagious, also. Soon the slayer and vampire found themselves holding hands as they progressed through the vendors’ booths, feeding each other samples of the food, and admiring the wares for sale. Eventually, the pair meandered into the forest to find a quiet and private place. Buffy sat up against a tree while Spike arrogantly laid his head in her lap where he could star gaze and lean up to steal a kiss from time to time.

Startled at first by their intimate position, Buffy gradually relaxed and absently played with Spike’s hair that curled without all the usual gel.

Regardless, Spike could tell she was thinking about something serious. Reaching up a hand, he pulled her down for a kiss, open mouthed and tender. When he let her go, he gave a mischievous smile, “Luv, I can see smoke coming out of your ears.”

“Huh?”

“What are you pondering, pet?”

“That you are such a poor baby, doing without hair gel all this time.”

Spike reached up and pulled a lock of her hair. “Ha, ha, Slayer. Now spill.”

“Ok, spilling. I was actually thinking about something you said before, that the Council of Watchers doesn’t want slayers to know that demons have feelings.”

Spike got very still, dreading the direction her present line of thought was going. “Suppose I remember.”

“Well, I have been with you, up close and personal like, for a while now.” Buffy was visibly nervous and had to pause for a second to re-gather her scrambled thoughts. “Ok…You care for Dawn, you cared if that little girl drowned back in that ice dimension or you wouldn’t have jumped in to save her, and you care if I get hurt, like when I was all cut up in that first fight. I can say you obviously have feelings.”

Spike let out the unneeded breath that he had been holding. “Knock me over with a feather, Slayer. There may be hope for you. Or better yet, let me show you some better uses for a feather.”

“No, I’m being serious here.” Buffy thumped him on the head but made a mental note to find out more about the feather uses. “But what I want to ask you is…well, uh…Remember the night we watched the meteor shower, and you told me that you had seen…uh…true love? Remember?” She had started to phrase it as the type of love that he was looking for but couldn’t bring herself to say it. It just seemed so…personal.

Spike looked off in the distance and wished that he had a cigarette. “Would you believe me if I said no?”

“No, you remember. Tell me about when you saw that kind of love.”

Spike grabbed a piece of grass to chew on in lieu of a cigarette. “You would think I remembered that day only because it was when I first met Dru. The day I was turned. But I also remember that day because it was the last time I saw my family, believe it or not.”

Buffy plucked the grass out of his mouth to gain his attention. “Well ‘believe it or not,’ I can believe that. So keep talking, bub.” Buffy stuck the piece of grass into her own mouth.

Spike smiled at her gesture and wondered if she realized what she had done and how intimate it was. Then looking back at the stars, he sighed and began with his little trip down the soddin’ memory lane. “I remember lunch that day. Mother and I were already at the table. See, it was an important day for me since that night I was attending a gathering at which I would see the woman I thought I loved.” Spike didn’t know if it was this particular dimension, the smell of the forest or lying in the slayer’s lap that had him talking so much, but he plunged on. “I remember my mum being amused that I was so excited, but she was happy for me, also. Then I remember my aunt, my mum’s younger sister, entered the room. Catherine was not beautiful, but pretty in her own right, and had been close to my mother until mother had married. She and her husband, John, were staying with us at the time, and were to attend the same gathering as I was that night.”

Listening to him recalling his past life, Buffy wondered if Spike even realized that he was speaking with a Giles’ accent now. But it struck her that she had never heard him talk of his past life at all, let alone any family. Focusing again on his story, Buffy watched his lips with fascination and continued to run her hand through his hair absently.

“My aunt and her husband were some of my favorite people in the world. At the time, I wanted a life like theirs. I remember later that night at the gathering. Catherine had arrived before John, but when he came through the door, she lit up as from within. Her eyes were only for him, and his for her. It was like their love was a tangible object that you could see stretched between them. A bond that no matter how far it was stretched or how hard it was tried, it would always bring them back together. A bond that promised a future.”

Spike paused and focused back on the stars above. He felt that he had revealed overmuch but was too caught up now to stop himself. “Who wouldn’t want to know that kind of love? Who doesn’t want someone to look at them with that look of love shining for them?”

Buffy looked down at this paradox of a vampire, who so tenderly described his family and talked of love. How easy it would be to forget he was a demon. No wonder her mother had liked Spike, and her sister adored him. Uneasy with the direction of her own thoughts, she searched her mind for any comparisons to his story.

Which only led Buffy tasting one of her appendages. “Angel and I looked at each other like that.” There it was - open mouth, insert foot.

Spike closed his eyes and counted to ten so he would not explode at the sound of his grand-sire’s name connected to this woman. “No, luv, as strongly as he felt about you, his was the look of a love that can never be. Yours was the look of first love.”

“Well, what about you and Dru then?”

Ignoring the obvious sarcasm in her voice, Spike thought back to his dark princess. “My eyes were for Dru, but hers were for Angelus, and then on to various other demons. That is why I left. I do not share.”

As a result of her surprise, Buffy nearly knocked his head off her lap. “You believe in monogamy.”

“Monogamy. That shocks you so much, oh slayer with the big word? Bullocks, are we back to the demons don’t love conversation again?”

“No, we are not back to that argument.” Buffy leaned down and kissed him, “And no, I shouldn’t be so surprised. You are always so loyal and up front. You would never sneak around behind a girlfriend’s back.”

“Well, come on then, little miss nosy.” Spike got up and drew Buffy to her feet. Once up, he kissed her with a tenderness that made Buffy’s knees weak. “We need to head back since we’ve got that last match tomorrow. Plus, I think I can hear our bed calling from here.”

“Oh, you can, can you?” Buffy reached up for another taste of his lips.

The pair walked hand in hand through the woods back to their cottage. When they were almost back, Buffy broke their comfortable silence. “You know, I like your idea of love. I hope that one day, I can see that look.”

“Me, too, luv. Me, too.”

When they made it into the cottage, they silently headed straight for the bedroom. Without breathing a word, they undressed each other and climbed into the bed. Holding on to each other tightly, they kissed warmly. Open mouth, passionate, totally intimate but very tender kisses. Warm hands explored and caressed a cool body, while cool hands explored and caressed warm. Surprisingly, neither set of hands fondled any erogenous zones. The caresses were more of a way to show their affection rather than sexual, without having to make that commitment of saying the words aloud. But slowly, the burning embers of desire began to blaze into flames. The kisses became more feverish, and hands caressed more intimate places. As Spike finally positioned himself above Buffy, she looked up into his beautiful blue eyes. As he slowly drove himself into her heat, never breaking eye contact, Buffy’s last conscious thought before giving into the pleasure of him inside her was how easy it would be to love him. So easy.

Later, when Buffy was curled up in his arms, sleeping peacefully, Spike was lost in his own discomfiting thoughts. Unknowingly mirroring Buffy’s own earlier thoughts, he too had been struck by how easy it would be to love this woman. However, the difference was that he was afraid that he was already in love with her. Now, Spike lay there wondering what was he going to do? A master vampire in love with a slayer. Or better yet, the Slayer of Slayers in love with the current Slayer.

But then Buffy caught his attention again when, still asleep, she pulled his arm in and snuggled up a little closer to his body, whispering his name in her sleep. That sealed his fate. Bugger the consequences. Hell, sod it all. Maybe this was a curse, but the slayer had found her way into his long dead heart, and he was going to enjoy.

The atmosphere before the fight was unusually casual. Buffy and Spike had sent word that they didn’t need to practice before hand and would like to have their meal in their cottage. Clara found herself somewhat disappointed. In the last few days, she had begun to enjoy watching their practices and sharing a meal with the slayer and witty vampire before the fights. Their romantic saga was the highlight of this particular enterprise of Sebastian’s. To tell the truth, she had become rather fond of the unusual pair.

Just before the fight, Buffy and Spike finally emerged from their cottage. They came into the fighting arena, hand in hand and laughing drawing a ferocious frown from Sebastian as they joined Clara in their waiting area. Sebastian held up the bowl to the first council member, who drew and called out the name of one the locals.

Seemly oblivious, Buffy and Spike ignored their opponent as he entered the ring. Their interest remained completely wrapped up in only each other. Five minutes later, the next council member drew Buffy’s name. She gave Spike a kiss and a perky smile, but squealed when he gave her a pat on the ass as she started to leave for the ring.

“Spike!” Buffy admonished as she whirled around.

Spike gave her the best innocent look he could muster. “Slayer? They’re waiting for you.”

The look, however, wasn’t fooling Buffy. “And I’ll get even with you later.”

“I certainly hope so.” Now the big bad’s smirk was back.

While Clara was trying not to laugh, Buffy entered the ring hesitantly for the first time since she had been fighting in Sebastian’s competitions. Her hesitation was not born out of fear, but from uncertainty. She just didn’t know what she was going to do with this new opponent.

Ever observant, Spike caught her pause. “Come on, Slayer, get to work. We have more entertaining past times for us to do back at the cottage.”

Trying to wave off the vampire inconspicuously behind her back, Buffy gave her opponent a smile, “Hi! I’m Buffy.”

The local, who looked to be barely four feet tall, just smiled pleasantly back.

“Bloody hell, Slayer. We’re not here for tea and crumpets. Get on with it.”

Buffy went over so she could talk to Spike without shouting. “But, Spike, he is so cute, and he’s does look like Dopey of the Seven Dwarves. I just can’t bring myself to hit him.” Buffy waved to the local and received one in return. “They’re just so nice.”

Spike glanced at a clock ticking down, and then over towards Sebastian who looked like he was having to do some fast, off the cuff explaining to the agitated council members. “Well, good thing that they are going to call the next name. Come on, Sebastian, old man, call Spike.”

However, much to Spike’s disappointment, Sebastian called the second local’s name instead of the vampire’s. Bugger it, seven more minutes to wait. “Now, Slayer, get over there and … what the hell!”

Over Buffy’s shoulder, Spike watched an incredible transformation. The two locals grabbed each other in a bear hug, then rolled on the ground. However, when they stood up, there were no longer two four-foot men, but one eight-foot muscled brute. “Clara, what the hell is going on?” Spike yelled, but looking at Clara’s expression said it all. She was just as surprised as Spike and Buffy were.

The slayer’s eyes were huge, “Oh, shit.”

Spike glanced sharply at the slayer, who he rarely heard cuss, but had to agree with her. “No wonder those council gits told Sebastian two was going to be enough. Slayer, go for his knees!”

Already heading across the arena, Buffy called over her shoulder, “I think that is as high as I can reach on him.”

Buffy took the vampire’s suggestion and went for his knees. In fact, she got in several good kicks, but the giant just chuckled good-naturedly. “Hey, Gargantua, do you cause eclipses?” Growing bold, Buffy hit the giant in the stomach, earning an “oomph.” That was at least something, Buffy thought. Her next shot, however, hit below the belt, which truly awakened the giant. “Uh, sorry?”

He reached down and back handed Buffy, who went tumbling across the ring.

Clara watched in horror while Spike was practically climbing the walls. “Slayer, stay away from him. You’ve got three more minutes, and then we’ll team up on the blighter.”

Buffy, however, shook herself off and went after the giant again. “Ok, you are sooo not cute now.” This time, the giant was waiting. He caught her up and threw her against one of the support posts at the ring’s wall like nothing but garbage. To Clara and Spike’s horror, the giant then went over and picked her up to see if she was conscious. She hung from his enormous hand like a limp rag doll, totally out, but hopefully alive.

Clara turned to Spike, knowing that the clock was almost down to zero and expecting him to still be going nuts, but she was startled to find him now completely calm. The only way she could tell that he was upset was that he was in vamp face, his yellow eyes focused on the fallen slayer and his clenched jaw. When Spike was finally let in the ring, he first went directly over to the slayer to make sure she was alive. When satisfied that he could hear her heart beat, he turned to the giant, and the name of the game now was cheat. Spike’s first two punches delivered were kidney punches to the giant’s side. “That should make it hurt to piss for a week or two.” Not waiting on the giant to recover, Spike then rammed him in the crotch doubling the giant over. With an evil smirk, Spike hit the giant in the throat, temporarily incapacitating the giant. That gave Spike the chance to climb up on his back and begin trying to either break his neck or choke him down. He pulled and twisted as the giant staggered around the arena, and then ‘pop.’ Spike fell to the ground, stumbled, but he still had hold of the giant’s neck. Surprised, Spike realized that what he held was no longer a giant. The giant had split back down to the two smaller men. “Well, you little gits, I don’t think you are so cuddly as my slayer did.” Each received a boot to the face, knocking them out. Spike returned to his human face as he picked up the slayer and carried her out of the arena.

*****

“Spike?” When Buffy woke up, she didn’t see Spike at first. “Spike, where are you?”

“I’m here, luv.” Spike hurried back into the room. Her eyes came around and locked with his, hers reflecting pure happiness in finding him with her. But it was then, when Spike looked at that face so happy to see him, that he knew. He had wanted for a while to deny his feelings, but now he knew that he loved this amazing woman. But now what?

“Spike, I feel pretty rotten. That giant jerk did a number on me. I hurt all over. We have a few hours until we have to get to the portal, don’t we? Would you mind holding me while I rest? I would really appreciate it.”

Spike wanted to jump around like a giddy, young boy with his first bicycle. Buffy had asked her into her bed for something other than sex. She just wanted comfort. On Spike’s scale of importance, he rated this pretty high. Previously, she made the invite for sex, but this time it meant more to him. She was asking him to comfort her. He started to wonder if they could possibly make this relationship between slayer and vampire work when they got back to Sunnyhell.

He came over to the side of her bed but wasn’t sure how much clothes he should take off. If he took them all off, he didn’t want her to think he wanted to have sex. Not to mention, the slayer was still in her shirt and underwear. He waited to see what she would do. Buffy soon closed his internal debate when she whipped her t-shirt off and next came the panties. So accordingly, Spike stripped down to his pants that he took off as he entered the bed. Buffy immediately moved over to lay against Spike. He received a pleased groan from Buffy when he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as close as possible. Still, Buffy swished and squirmed to find just the right position for their bodies. Finally finding it, she gave a loud, contented sigh and quickly fell asleep. Spike didn’t think he could sleep but was more than happy to be there, wrapped around Buffy. He certainly didn’t mind watching over such a beautiful woman, especially with that much of his skin touching her skin. And that’s the kicker; she had asked him to stay with her.

*****

Four hours later, Buffy was up and getting ready to go back to Sunnydale. “Just think, Spike. In just a little while, we’ll be home. Willow is going to freak about you and me. What do you think Dawn will do? She may be ok with it. Now, Xander, is going to go postal. Geez, I don’t even want to tell him. He may try to stake you. And Giles…Oh, no, Giles. How am I ever going to tell Giles? Major wiggins! Maybe we shouldn’t tell them now. What do you think?”

Buffy didn’t even notice that Spike made no comment, just a frown forming. He watched as she kept yapping.

“Ya know, wait until the right time. Maybe they will start accepting you a little more, and then we could tell them. Spike? Are you listening? Spike?”

Spike had been listening alright. The more the slayer talked, the more he saw the future dim. He should have known this was just one of those vacation romances, one of those that when you get back home, life goes back to normal. The slayer will go on her merry, little slaying way. A way that doesn’t mix with this vampire, unless it is in secret. The slayer’s dark, hidden secret.

“Yeah, Slayer. I’m listening. But if you don’t get you arse in gear, you’re going to miss Sebastian’s handy, little portal to Sunnyhell.”

Spike watched her getting ready to go, knowing this was the end of their interlude. An ending that had made him wish that the Council of Wankers had been right that vampires couldn’t love. Well, this time he wasn’t going to play the bleedin’ fool. “Hey, Slayer, I am going to go ahead and make sure Sebastian holds the door for you.”

“Thanks, Spike. Tell him I am coming in just a sec.”

The sun was going to rise in a few more minutes. Since the portal was to be outdoors this time, Buffy knew that Sebastian was going to open the portal in the next few minutes, or else toasty Spikey. Sebastian had said that he would have the other end of the portal open in the old building that they had all first met. No sun problem inside of there.

When Buffy ran into the clearing, she waved at Clara and headed toward Spike, who was talking earnestly with Sebastian. “Buffy Summers reporting for teleporting, or whatever this is called.” She saluted with a smile but was surprised to not receive one in return from Spike. Spike wouldn’t even look her way. Strange.

Sebastian, however, interrupted before she could say anything to the vampire. He pulled out two gold coins out of a pocket. Spike recognized it as being similar to the one that Sebastian had been toying with at their first meeting in Sunnydale. After handing one to Buffy and one to Spike, Sebastian explained. “Our bargain is done, and the key is safe. I want each of you to have this coin. Actually, it is more of a calling card than a coin. I have been very pleased with the results of our enterprise together and should you every want to work with me again, make some substantial profit, use the coin to contact me.”

Spike turned the coin over a couple of time, not recognizing any of the exotic markings before silently putting it in his pocket.

Buffy look at it closely. “Uh, thanks I guess.”

As she put her coin in her pocket, the portal opened up in front of them and through it she could see the room where she and Spike had first met Sebastian. Buffy took a few steps toward it before she realized that Spike was not following her.

As she started to call back to him, a second portal opened. Looking through, Buffy could see snow and ice, the second dimension they had visited in this so-called adventure. Spike started walking toward that portal.

Buffy was floored. “Spike? Where are you going?”

“Slayer, when we left, the mayor gave me an open invite.” Spike stopped and just stood for a moment before turning to face her. “A little while ago, you talked about fearing the reaction of the Scoobies to us being together. Tell the truth, Buffy. Can you go back to your friends and see the disgust in their eyes?” Spike brought forth his demonic features. “See the disapproval on your watcher’s face when you tell him you have a vampire for a lover again.” He gestured toward the snowy portal. “But those people accepted me as I am.” The demonic features melted away back into the human face again. “You see, luv. That’s the rub. I can’t imagine going back to SunnyDale and not being with you. And to be crystal, I mean with you in public, for anyone to see, not secret trysts whenever we can swing it. To be able to kiss you in Rupert’s living room is what I want, whenever we want.”

Buffy took a step towards Spike. “My friends will get use to us…”

Spike sadly shook his head. “They may, they may not. Do you think I’m going to win any popularity contest for being with the Slayer in the demon world? I personally don’t give a rat’s arse what anyone says. But are you willing to risk it in your world? It’s worth the consequences to me, but is it worth it to you?”

When Buffy couldn’t respond, Spike shook his head, walked through the portal to the ice dimension and it closed behind him.

Stunned, Buffy looked over to find Clara at her side, a sympathetic look on the red-head’s face. Buffy could only ramble, “Spike isn’t coming back with me? He’s gone?”

Clara gave her a little hug and then turned Buffy toward her own dimension. “How would you have answered, Buffy? Would he have been worth the risk?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“Good-bye and good luck.” Clara pushed Buffy on through the portal to Sunnydale. “Maybe you should have thought about that sooner.”

Morning had become one of Buffy’s favorite times of the day. Dawn was at school. Willow and Tara had left a few minutes ago, off to their classes. It was just her. Well, her and her cup of coffee. Three weeks had passed since she had walked through the portal to return home.

Buffy thought back to that day, as she absently stirred her drink. Arriving back in Sunnydale, Buffy had gone first to the Magic Box, shocking the pants off of Anya and Xander. Or at least Xander’s pants were off, and Anya was just put out at the interruption.

Eventually, Xander had hugged her until she couldn’t breathe, while Anya phoned Giles, letting him know that he, Dawn, Willow and Tara could finally return to Sunnydale.

When the Scoobies all met at Revello Drive that night, Buffy told her story. She detailed Spike’s help but edited out the extracurricular activity between them.

Giles was the first to speak after the fantastic tale. “So, Buffy, if I understand you correctly, this Sebastian is going to inform his buyer that there no longer is a Key? No longer a Key up for sale?”

Before Buffy could answer, Anya “umphed.” Knowing better, no one took her interruption for a loud exhale.

Xander swiveled in his seat to look at his girlfriend. “An, hon, do you need some share time with the group?”

“No.”

Giles rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Anya, do you know something about this Sebastian?”

“Yes,” she answered looking like a petulant child. “But I have no desire to get on his bad side, or any other side of his. He’s nice enough, but he would do anything for the right price. You have to admire that in a man, but it doesn’t make you want to trust him.”

From that point on in the conversation, the Q and A deteriorated into more of a heated debate. Xander had been convinced that Spike had “taken her out.” Willow was calmer, saying that it made sense that her locator spell didn’t work if Buffy and Spike had been in a different dimension. And Giles worried, not wanting to trust Sebastian’s word that the Key, namely Dawn, was now safe.

Dawn had been very quiet during the discussion, but finally spoke up. “So, Buffy, you’re here, but where’s Spike?”

Buffy had dreaded the question but had braced herself, knowing it would come. “He’s not coming back, Dawnie. He decided to stay in one of the other dimensions.”

With that answer, Buffy locked the memories away, and her life went back to normal, as normal as a slayer’s life could be living on the Hellmouth.

*****

As Buffy stared off in space, the back door opened and in walked Willow, jarring Buffy out of her memories. “Hey, Buff. What’s up?”

Startled, Buffy nearly spit out her coffee. As it was, she had to carefully swallow. “Hi, Wills, what are you doing home at this time of day?”

“Oh, not much. Thought I would skip class today.”

Luckily, Buffy had not taken another sip or she would have spit the coffee out for sure. “Willow, I would have never thought…”

“Gotcha,” Willow said with a mischievous grin. “Way cool. *And* I got a smile.”

Buffy smiled a moment more. “So do I need to call the attendance Nazis, or what?”

“No, the professor was sick, so no class. Yay for a day off.”

“A Willow running free. Scary.”

“So speaking of smiles…”

“We weren’t anymore.”

Undaunted, Willow pushed on. “We don’t see your smiles anymore.”

“Yes, you do. See, look.” Buffy gave her brightest smile but ended up looking more like she was in a teeth whitening commercial.

“Wigging here. Ok, recap time. Week one, when you got back, we saw ‘Robot Buffy.’ Very distracted and just going through the motions of life. The second week we saw ‘Grrh Buffy.’ You were very angry, but I’m not too sure what happened that week because I was hiding, along with everyone else. The third week was ‘What Is Wrong With Me Buffy,’ which came with the ever popular questions: ‘Am I pretty? Am I appealing? Do men like me?’ All of which translated into the real Buffy question. ‘Why doesn’t he love me?’ And now we come to my self-imposed homework assignment. ‘Find out who *he* is.’”

Buffy thought long and hard about giving an ambiguous answer, but the truth was pushing and shoving to come out. Maybe she did need someone in which she could confide, and who better than Willow? “Bull’s-eye, Wills. Are you sure your assignment wasn’t target practice?”`

Ignoring Buffy’s attempt at diverting the topic of conversation, Willow kept prodding, “And?”

“I did fall in love with someone while I was gone.”

“Oh, oh. A long distance romance. Was he tall, dark, and from another dimension?”

“Unfortunately, no, he’s blonde, pale, and mouthy. But, yes, he is in another dimension.” The tears that had been threatening to fall started rolling down Buffy’s cheeks.

“I’m sorry. I’m insensitive girl today.” Willow moved closer to her friend, so she could wrap her arms around Buffy. “I bet he misses you, just as much as you miss him.”

“No, that’s just it. He left me. I thought he was coming back here with me, but then he asked me if it was worth it. I froze, Willow. I couldn’t answer him.”

“Worth what?”

“Losing you, Xander, Giles, all my friends because of him. I didn’t think any of you would accept him. But now I don’t have to make the choice between you or him, do I?”

Willow thought a moment, thinking carefully about what she was going to say to make her friend feel better. “Buffy, when Tara and I first got together, I was Scaredy Cat Willow about what you guys would say about us. But I shouldn’t have been worry girl because everything worked out. The only time I felt bad was when Spike tried to cause trouble for Adam. Remember he…what? What’d I say?”

Buffy had been gazing down into her cup while Willow talked, but at the mention of the vampire’s name, her head shot up. She looked at Willow long enough to watch Willow’s expression go from “huh?” to “uh oh!” Buffy quickly looked back down, but she had already seen the big round-eyed, open mouth surprise on her friend’s face.

Buffy’s thoughts started to race. Bag. Cat. Out. In a big way. Now how did she catch the slippery feline? God, Spike was right. She had not wanted to tell her friends. Maybe it wasn’t a cat. Maybe it was a chicken that got out of the bag and was now loose. Well, now was honesty time or choke on feathers.

*****

Spike was pacing, but not his normal pacing due to excess energy. His current pacing was not because he had minded leaving Leilor and her father during dinner. Hell, he had been antsy before the meal had even started. The problem was that Spike had assumed he was no longer having visions of the future. Nonetheless, they were back. The first one came as they were sitting down for dinner, resulting in the vampire almost missing his friggin’ chair. He had almost tumbled on his arse, and for what? To briefly see some soddin’ demon. At first he thought it was a flashback or some such nonsense. The vision had been much shorter than the previous ones, and no telling how many hallucinogens he had literally sucked down with his “meals” over the last hundred years, especially from the 60’s on. He was due a flashback or ten.

But then Spike had a second flash of the future. Two demons this time. They had looked familiar in a butt ugly sort of way, but Spike knew he had never fought, let alone seen their kind before. Sort of scaly, bug-eyed, and a Mohawk type appendage sticking out of its head. ‘Oh balls,’ he thought he had left the visions behind in Sunnyhell.

Just the thought of that town brought an abrupt halt to his pacing. Hells’ bloody bells, the vision hadn’t been from the dimension he currently resided but from Sunnydale. Since the first vision had been short, Spike hadn’t noticed the lack of snow. Now, though, Spike would bet his last dollar, if he had a dollar, that he had recognized the tombstone behind the second demon.

Unfortunately, along with thoughts of Sunnydale also came thoughts of the slayer. For the last 3 weeks, he had been working hard to put Buffy out of his mind and any other part of his anatomy that wanted her, he thought with a glance down his body.

Unexpectedly, Spike had another vision. This time he briefly saw the slayer with the demons. When it was over, he found himself lying on the floor with one leg hanging over an ottoman. ‘Ok, visions and pacing do not go together. Ought to warn a bloke when they’re coming, anyhow. And how was he to forget the slayer when she was spoiling his visions now?’

Resigning himself to the floor, Spike replayed the latest vision in his head. The same two demons had been fighting the slayer. No big.

Then instead of ceiling, he was looking at Sunnydale again, but not the replay. This time the scene had drastically changed. The slayer was on the ground with one demon was standing over her, holding a sizeable tree branch as a club, and the other demon was sitting on top of Buffy.

Short and to the point again, Spike thought as the vision ended. Still not that bad of a situation, he thought, but then Spike realized that the slayer had not been fighting back. She had been lying there limp with the demon on top of her, his hands at her throat. He had to get back to Sunnydale. Bleedin’ hell, those demons had to die. If anyone got to throttle the slayer, it would be him.

Running out of his room to find someone who could open a portal, a small part of him hoped he didn’t have another vision because the way things were currently going, he would run smack into a wall.

*****

The portal deposited Spike close to the spot that he recognized from his vision. Shifting into game face, Spike took off in a full sprint and quickly made it to the area of the graveyard that the fight would occur. His golden eyes didn’t see the slayer , but then locked on the two demons. So they were in the right place, but the slayer wasn’t yet. Good, he could kill these two horror show rejects before Buffy even got there. He took the closest one down with a flying tackle. He stayed on top, straddled him and pulled back his arm, already picturing how he was going to smash in the tosser’s face.

Then suddenly Spike couldn’t bring his arm forward. He tried a couple more times, but it was like his arm was being held in an invisible vice. When he stopped struggling, he realized that the demon was mumbling. Mumbling? A mumbling demon?

Spike looked down in time to see the demon reach up and pull off his own head, and then Spike was looking down into Xander’s face. “Whelp? What the fuck?”

Xander tossed the mask aside. “Oh, no. Don’t even use the ‘F’ word while straddling me.”

Before he could reply, Spike recognized Willow’s voice briefly to the right just as his arm was set free again. Glancing over, he saw the two witches standing close to a mausoleum. No wonder he couldn’t see them as he came in. Then, to make the whole situation worse, they waved of all things.

“Geez, Spike, glad you tackled Xander instead of knocking me flat.”

Spike’s head jerked around at Dawn’s voice. But instead of the Nibblet’s form, he was looking at the second demon, standing in front of him, holding its head under its arm, and other hand on its hip. On top of the demon’s body was Dawn’s smiling face.

“What the fu…” Before he could repeat his earlier question, Dawn raised an eyebrow, stopping Spike mid-cuss.

Below him, Xander was trying to push the vampire off. “Willow better have kept some of that money you won, blood breath, because you’re so going to pay for any wreckage to this costume.”

Spike smiled down at Xander making sure to show his fangs to their best advantage. “Now, the Bit I’m fond of, but you, whelp, are another matter altogether.”

“Xander, maybe you should not add anymore fuel to the fire so Spike will let you up with minimal amount of…uh…contact?”

Spike whipped his head around to left to see the Slayer sitting on top of a tombstone, swinging her feet and smiling at him. Why the nervy bint!

Slayer and vampire stared at one another, but their facial expressions were vastly different. Buffy’s smile was as bright as a shiny day, and Spike’s frown was no doubt a dark, stormy night. No telling how long they would have stayed in a glare contest had it not been for an insistent tapping on Spike’s shoulder. He looked up into Anya’s face.

“Spike, let Xander up. You are sitting on his important parts, and I was planning on using them later.” Anya was proud of herself for remembering to edit her language in front of Dawn.

Even without saying penis, everyone could tell when Spike figured out what exactly Anya meant by important parts. The blond vampire scrambled to his feet with such a horrified expression on his face that all the onlookers started laughing. All except for the man with the important parts, and the vamp that had been sitting on them.

Buffy was impressed. Anya got Spike off of Xander faster than she ever could have, but now she needed some alone time with Spike.

However, before she could speak, Dawn interrupted. “Ok, guys, I think Buffy and Spike need some alone time.”

For once appreciative of Dawn’s matchmaking, Buffy smiled her thanks to her departing friends.

As they passed by the vampire, Willow handed Spike a black t-shirt with a thanks. Inspecting the shirt, Spike recognized it as one of his own.

Xander’s voice floated back as the group walked away. “I hate this costume. I feel like the Monster from the Black Lagoon.”

“You’re right, Xander. You make a much better Tarzan.”

“An…Can we just get out of here?”

*****

Audience gone, Spike held the t-shirt up to Buffy with a questioning look on his face.

Buffy shrugged, “They said they needed something of yours for their magic to find you. I started to bring your TV…Ok, stop growling. Note to self: No sense of humor.”

“My sense of humor is top notch, Slayer, but not when I have been bamboozled.”

“What oozle?”

“You bloody well know what I mean.” He threw the t-shirt her way and started pacing. “So the visions were sent by Red and Glenda?”

Not thinking it was safe to talk at that point, Buffy just nodded. After all, he was still in game face.

“You weren’t in any real danger. So I was the subject of another of Red’s spells. The same witch that most of her spells are associated with the word, ‘oops’? Thank God Glenda helped her. And you put them up to this?” Spike was shouting by the time he asked the last question.

Buffy hadn’t thought he would be this mad. “Well…I didn’t think you would come back if I just asked. Besides I thought that if you did come back when you thought I was in trouble, there may be hope for us.”

“So you played me?”

“Not like I could call you on the phone.” Buffy snapped back, but then kicked herself for not remaining as calm as she wanted.

Spike threw up his arms in exasperation. “I’ve been tricked by Scoobies. It’s humiliating and demoralizing for a bloke.”

Buffy smiled, trying to entice Spike closer to her. “Come here and let’s see if I can stroke your ego.”

“Stroke?” No way the vampire was passing up such an opening at a sexual innuendo. Spike took a couple of steps toward Buffy, then stopped and forced himself to turn away. “No way, Slayer. I am brassed off and not likely to get over it so soon.”

Buffy watched him pace around another tree. Her heart had leapt when he had started toward her but was now sinking again. She knew Spike was pissed in a big way, but at least he wasn’t leaving.

Spike glanced over at the slayer. “You told your friends about us? Not just the fighting, but the shagging, also?”

“Dense much? You saw them here helping me…uh…contact you, didn’t you?” Now Buffy was getting frustrated.

“Rolling your eyes at me isn’t helping, missy.”

Buffy sighed. She hadn’t even realized she had rolled her eyes. “My bad. All shagging has been revealed. Well, not the places or positions. Just that we shagged and much enjoyment was had.”

“So what am I doing back here, Slayer?”

“I wanted to thank you for paying the bills…”

“That’s well and good, pet, but I’m not buying that one. Pitch another.”

Time for the direct approach. Hopping off the tombstone, Buffy intercepted Spike on his next pass by her perch. “I missed you.”

“What?” That had shocked Spick down to his boots.

“I. Missed. You.” Buffy hadn’t realized how good admitting that to Spike would feel. The second time had felt even better.

Spike, however, was still cautious. His hopes had soared at her words, but he need to know how far the slayer was willing to go. “I’m not going to sneak around.”

“No sneekage, hard head. If you want, though, we can go now and kiss in Giles’ living room, kitchen, stairs…”

“Bath tub?”

Buffy smiled, but Spike still had a frown. Standing up on her tip toes, she kissed him on the mouth. “Sure, but no chains.”

That got a smile from Spike as his human face melted back into view. “Oh, luv, you say that now.” Gathering Buffy up in his arms, he leaned down, lips meeting lips.

Eventually, Buffy leaned back and tried to catch her breath. “Want us to send you back now?”

“Guess not. At least here a bloke can get a spot of violence.” Spike leaned down to kiss her again, but she broke away.

“So what happened with Leilor?” Buffy couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes when she asked the question.

Spike grinned. Was the slayer turning a little green from jealousy? “We shagged…oomph. Hey, watch the ribs, Slayer. No, I just couldn’t bring myself to touch her. Not that she didn’t offer, but I had this other bint stuck in my head. Short, blonde, stubborn, doesn’t know a good thing when she sees it…”

“I see it now, Spike. I see you now.” Leaning up, Buffy kissed her vampire lover again.

*****

The End (But yes, there will be a sequal.)